She leaned forward. “I’m going to tell you things, M. Poirot. You’re not the kind one can just string along. I’d rather tell you than have you snooping around finding out.

Christie, Agatha. One, Two, Buckle my Shoe: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot series Book 22) (p. 68). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

Hercule Poirot is glad when his six month dentist appointment is over, but he's back there later that day when he finds out his dentist was shot dead and the police think it might have been an accident and the target was actually Mr Alistair Blunt - head of a bank and a man of vast influence and wealth.

This was an enjoyable read. The mystery was good and I loved how all the characters were busy hating on the dentist. It amused me that Poirot was so sad before his appointment, wishful during (he hoped the dentist doesn't notice his clearly decaying tooth) and elated afterwards. The ending was a surprise - as per usual - but it was fun to follow the path the investigation takes. I really did think Alistair Blunt's niece was involved.

I was happy that my two favourite characters - Inspector Japp and George the Valet both make appearances. And of course, they both gave some of my favourite lines;

When Poirot reached home, George said: “Chief Inspector Japp is here, sir.”
Japp grinned in a rueful way as Poirot came into the room. “Here I am, old boy. Come round to say: ‘Aren’t you a marvel? How do you do it? What makes you think of these things?’”
“All this meaning—? But pardon, you will have some refreshment? A sirop? Or perhaps the whisky?” “The whisky is good enough for me.”
A few minutes later he raised his glass, observing: “Here’s to Hercule Poirot who is always right!” “No, no, mon ami.”
“Here we had a lovely case of suicide. H.P. says it’s murder—wants it to be murder—and dash it all, it is murder!”
“Ah? So you agree at last?”
“Well, nobody can say I’m pigheaded. I don’t fly in the face of evidence. The trouble was there wasn’t any evidence before.”
“But there is now?”
“Yes, and I’ve come round to make the amend honourable, as you call it, and present the titbit to you on toast, as it were.”
“I am all agog, my good Japp.”

Christie, Agatha. One, Two, Buckle my Shoe: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot series Book 22) (pp. 125-126). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.



He looked encouragingly at George. “Now, my good Georges, what have you to say about the matter?”
George pondered. He said: “It strikes me, sir—”
“Yes, Georges?”
“You will have to find another dentist to attend to your teeth in future, sir.”
Hercule Poirot said: “You surpass yourself, Georges. That aspect of the matter had not as yet occurred to me!”
Looking gratified, George left the room.

Christie, Agatha. One, Two, Buckle my Shoe: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot series Book 22) (p. 63). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

A fun read, enjoyable read, 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 stars. ( )

Part of my weekend was in the company of Agatha Christie's feisty little Belgian detective. She wrote 45-ish books in the series and Sophie Hannah was selected by her estate to continue Poirot's adventures (Hannah has written 4 so far). I've read about 24 of them to date. The two from this weekend were nicely paired in an unplanned sort of way.

Both were intricately structured and featured familiar rhymes. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe was published in 1940, and there were definite wartime vibes in her writing. Five Little Pigs has been in my TBR pile for several years. It was well worth the wait. It also had one of the few times that (it appears) the murderer got away with the crime.

The covers for these books make me happy. I love it when thought is put into the artwork. I'd recommend any of the Poirot series of books if you like detective fiction. I would steer you clear of it if you hate bald-headed Belgians with magnificent mustaches.
( )

First sentence: Mr. Morley was not in the best of tempers at breakfast.

Premise/plot: Hercule Poirot goes to the dentist. Several hours later, he learns that the dentist--his dentist--has been found dead. Was it suicide? Was it murder? Can Hercule Poirot find out who hated this dentist enough to murder him--if it was murder at all? Why was he killed? Or why did he kill himself? Poirot tracks down who had motive and opportunity to commit this crime...

My thoughts: I didn't like this Agatha Christie novel at all. I don't know that I'd go so far as to say it's my least favorite Christie novel of all time. But it's probably bottom five material. I just didn't care for how this one unfolded. I don't mean I didn't care for how it resolved or how all was resolved. I meant the way that the suspects entered the story, the way the clues unfolded, it was just odd. Odd can be a good thing in a mystery. (But not always).

Have you read this one? What did you think? ( )

This one didn't appeal to me as much as other Christies. I didn't really understand the motivations of the characters, even after going back and listening to almost half of the novel again thinking I'd missed something. There's also a more gruesome, more modern crime scene than I'm used to in Christie's mysteries. That's not a negative, necessarily, just a surprise. ( )

Agatha Christie writes an intriguing story of twists and turns. The story opens in the unlikely office of a dentist. Hercule Poirot must have his teeth cleaned and checked. The overworked dentist has many patients, but his assistant has been called away and cannot provide help. The dentist finishes with his patients, but the office boy finds the dentist dead. Inspector Japp rules that Henry Morley has committed suicide, due to a patient dying from too much anesthetic. Poirot thinks an evil plot has killed Morley and Poirot begins his investigation into the two deaths. What a journey Poirot must take to find the killer and the reason behind all the deaths. A delightful way to spend a day reading this delicious story. ( )